Chapter 64

Lionel’s POV

Nan has not spoken to me since our last encounter.

It is painful. She will not respond to me directly. She will not even look at me.

I know…because I barely take my eyes off of her. I take in every sight of her like a man starved of substance. My wolf will not tolerate otherwise.

If we are not with our daughters, she walks away. No number of requests for her presence works. It is clear she is distancing herself from me again.

Only this time, it's so much worse than before. Before I was angry too. It was easier to bear.

In this situation, I am only filled with regret. There is no anger to keep me going. But I suspect she could go on for a while with her justifiable anger supporting her spite campaign.

Her parting words were untrue. Never once had I thought that of her. But I see how my actions might have said otherwise.

If only I could explain. Properly apologize. But that is difficult to do when the other party does not want to hear it.

I am sitting across from her at the dining table. Seeing her warmth with our daughters. Yet being denied a single glance from her grey eyes for myself.

I am at a loss of how to fix this. I am not sure if simple apology will do the job. But I cannot give up.

But I am not completely hopeless. My conversation with her gave me some useful nuggets of inspiration. I have an idea or two to catch her attention.

“I have some work to finish upstairs.” I tell the girls. “I’ll be down to tuck you in later.”

Vera blinks at me innocently. I am immediately suspicious. “Can we stay up to watch Mr. Laughter’s crazy tunes?”

I smirk. “Nice try.”

Patti giggles. “Told you.”

Vera shrugs. I smile at my mischievous little pups. And I am dumbly disheartened when Nan does not return my friendly smile at her.

My brief good mood deflates a little. “You girls finish up your homework.” I add.

My walk to my study is filled with determination. Purpose lifting my dampened spirit. I made sure to lock the door behind me for privacy.

I go over to my desk and pick up the phone receiver. It only takes a few minutes to receive the response I want. One of the many perks I enjoy with my status.

‘The trackers should make quick work of that request.’ I think. ‘If not…I can always throw in a few monetary incentives.’

Very few things in this world have been denied to me. Perhaps it makes me entitled and selfish…but that’s a central truth to my life. I will do whatever it takes to be granted Nan’s smile once more.

Nan’s POV

A gold digger… a gold digger…a gold digger!

I have never been stupid. Wolf-less, poor, stubborn…but never stupid. It did not take long for my rational side to recover from our intense conversation.

I had been so intent on uncovering Lionel’s emotional upset that I did not immediately catch onto the implications of his accusations. The ensuing explanations behind my mother’s necklace only further delayed that revelation. But when it clicked…I was left seeing red.

‘How dare he?!’ My mind screeched. It was the only thought I had for hours.

Fine…if he thought I was gold digger…I would show him exactly what I thought of that. I rebelled in the only way I could. I refused to engage with him in any form.

When he walks in the room, I turn my head the other way. If he speaks to me, I hold my tongue. I refuse to even look at him.

“Alright girls. Time to do your homework.” I tell them.

Patti groans and Vera sighs. “Mom, I wanna play!” Patti whines. Predictably Vera joins in.

“We never do anything fun!” Vera claims.

My mouth twitches. But I carefully school my amusement into sternness. “Well, if you never have fun, I guess you don’t want to watch Mr. Laughter’s crazy tunes.”

“Really!” Vera exclaims excitedly. Patti grins.

“But only if you get your homework done first.” I add.

Vera jumps out of her chair. “I’ll do it now!” She strides to the makeshift study room.

“Wait for me!” Patti cries out.

I am quickly left behind. I smirk at their ‘sudden’ change of heart. Bribery is the fastest way to get the girls to listen.

Is it the best parenting choice? Maybe not. But it works.

It also serves the purpose of irritating Lionel. It was one of those shows with ear warm songs and obnoxious voice actors. The kind all young children love mimicking.

Lionel despises the show. He has not had the heart to deny the girls their entertainment. But he has tried everything he could to find ways to convince them to stop watching…unsuccessfully.

I got the idea a few nights ago at dinner. Lionel’s annoyance inspired me. This petty little revenge gives me some satisfaction.

A notification sound from my email app catches my attention. I see the name of one of the coordinators from the near wedding disaster. It makes my brows knit together.

I open the notification bar to see a long-written email.

Dear Ms. Lupa,

We have recently been informed of the events surrounding the Wolfsbane wedding. Our company has fully cooperated with the police investigation. A formal inquiry has been opened in response to this shocking turn of events. We will do our best to ensure nothing like this occurs again. Considering recent discoveries, we would like to extend a formal apology for the actions you endured due to….

The entire email goes on similarly. Apologizing for the events I endured and reassuring me actions are being taken in response. I am unsure of my feelings about the entire thing.

But then a particular line sticks out.

…found you to be innocent of any wrongdoing. In response, we have voided the broken contract off your record. This should ensure that your future career is not adversely affected. Attached below are the correlating documents for your own personal records. If you have any concerns, contact….

I frown. Concern seeps into my mind. What did they mean by my career not being ‘adversely affected’?

I click on the documents. It takes several re-reads before I fully understand the contents of them. I am not comforted once I do comprehend them.

‘Why didn’t I think about this?’ I think hysterically. ‘I should have considered this sooner.’

I signed a lot of paperwork while planning that wedding. Most of them reasonable contracts. I had not thought twice about signing the false contract.

I had assumed it was like the others…reasonable, an acknowledgement that I read and understood the terms. In my hurry, I signed without thinking. A terrible mistake.

An uncomfortable pit settled in my chest. ‘You idiot,’ I scold myself. ‘Never sign things without checking the terms.’

The false contract had been found to have many hidden clauses. All benign until one looks closer. Then the ugly underside came into play.

If the plan to have me kicked out had succeeded…I would not have only been homeless. It would have been a black spot on my career. I would not have been able to find a job in the wedding industry every again.

I read it through one more time. It may have been a false contract…but it was legally binding. How had I escaped this?

I click back to the email to finish reading. Hoping for context clues. I see my answer toward the end.

…per agreement. Alpha Lionel reached out and coordinated with our team. The contract has been resolved. All penalty fees have been waived….

Of course. Of course Lionel helped me. Of course Lionel helped me without any expectations of gratitude.

The frozen core of my indignation melts. It all seems silly now. My little petty acts.

Why hadn’t I just told him?

‘No matter how mature I feel, I’m still only 24.’ I realize. ‘I still have some learning to do.’

I lean my head back. Stare at ceiling. Before biting the bullet.

I knock timidly on his study door. “Come in.” He calls.

I open the door. Expecting to see him sitting at his desk. Preoccupied by his work.

But that is not what I am greeted with.

Instead he stands there….as though waiting for me.